Honestly, I did not know what the hell Unicorns and Decacorns were until last year or may be a year before that. It is not really important when I exactly became aware of this term of honour in the start-up scene. A Unicorn is a start-up company in the tech sector that is valued at billion dollars (US) or more. And a decacorn is that start-up in the tech sector which is valued at ten billion dollars or more. Well, the valuation part is a little complicated. It is not necessary that the said Unicorn is making any money or not; it may as well be bleeding with losses. The…
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Swearing and Gaali.
There is a great deal of hypocrisy immanent in affluent Indians: it is with in relation to swearing. This is something I am writing from both personal experience and what I observe in public discourse. Elites are okay with words like ‘moron’; ‘stupid’; ‘idiot’; ‘dunderhead’, being used all the time. Afterall they consume lot of western TV and Film content, and they are quite comfortable with your F-bombs, damn-its. Many would not have any problem with the usage of words such as twat and knobhead, provided you don’t tell them their literal meaning, and use them merely as words synonymous with being stupid and unintelligent. Even the word ‘fuck’ these…
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I managed to finish ‘Working’ by Robert A. Caro.
Robert A. Caro is a multiple-Pulitzer award winning biographer of prominent personalities such as Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th US President, and polarizing but influential American Public Official Robert Moses. I came to know about this book on Twitter. I don’t know exactly who it was who suggested this book (may be Vivek Kaul) on his timeline, but I am happy that I paid for the kindle version of this highly readable book. I am a slow reader. But, I am happy to share that I managed to finish this book. I read books slowly and the fault is mostly mine and is by no way caused by the quality of…
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Bygones be Bygones, eh?
Recent statements by both Imran Khan and Pakistani Army Chief Bajwa are quite interesting. They are both talking of peace with India or atleast hinting at it in so many words. Is the period of bonhomie with China over. Is Pakistan hedging? Do they realise that China does not really like Islam as is clear by their treatment of Uighurs. May be giving too much of their country to China may not be that comfortable in the future. Pakistani dopehead PM said that his basic issue with India is Kashmir, and trade between the country should happen. Pakistan’s defacto chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa went even further and said that…
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The new strain.
The new strain of Covid in UK is more lethal according to Boris Johnson. And, it is a cause for concern indeed. How did the virus get mutated? England is a pretty cold place, innit? It could be that the conditions there were just more conducive for mutation. Heaven knows, how nature works. However, the good news is that existing vaccines maybe equally effective against prevention of this more lethal variant of the virus. Already more than 5 million people have been vaccinated in UK. And India has just gotten started on its own vaccination programme. Stubborn Farmers. The Union Government has offered to suspend the operation of Farm laws…
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Artificial Light is another form of Pollutant.
We generally think that burning of fossil fuels is what causes pollution. We also think that when we’re held up in a snarl-up the honking of horns adding to the cumulative noise is another form of pollutions–which we call noise pollution. But could the light generated by lightbulbs, LEDs etc that we use to get rid of darkness in our homes and public streets be a kind of pollution? And, a pernicious one at that. How would one define pollution? I guess as something that disturbs the natural order of things, nature, ecology. Then, when you think about it, it does seem quite obvious. We humans did not evolve with…
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Conscious Robots.
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Has Indian Economy bounced back?
I was happy to read the story in which FICCI President Sangita Reddy has said that India’s strategy of dealing with the Covid-19 crisis has paid off. She reckons that Indian Economy is set to bounce back and will emerge stronger. So it means that everything the government has done has paid off, right? She still tries to imply that more “bold actions” need to be taken and “growth agenda” ought to be pushed vigourously. The Government of India should be applauded for sticking with its bold agricultural reforms. Now, even Rajasthan has passed a “State Act” designed to blunt the effects of what they think is an anti farmer…
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Celebrities Will Have to be more careful in Brand endorsements.
The newly amended Consumer Protection Act contains penal provisions for the celebrity making a false claim while endorsing a product. The penalty ranges from few lakhs to even a few years stint in jail. Hopefully, this would lead to more due diligence from top celebrity endorsers while choosing the brand and product they vouch for–and the claims they are making in the advert. Heaven knows, Indian celebrities can be quite clumsy in choosing the product they endorse. They are in many instances poorly guided by their agents, often appear disinterested while promoting—and it is quite clear—they are only doing it for the dosh. From hair oil that claims to promote…
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More Bullet Trains are exactly what India needs.
This is not the time for good news it seems. The news is mostly depressing. The pandemic that is causing so much grief around the world is showing no signs of abating. The vaccine is still some months away if not years. The most promising candidate has hit a bit of a roadblock when one volunteer started showing signs of some neurological problems. So, today I read a news which cheered me up a bit. Even though, the first bullet train project of India may be getting delayed. The government is looking at proposals to set up as many as seven more High Speed Train corridors. This is exactly what…
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Get your Paws off our Temples.
Has Supreme Court started the process freeing of Temples from control of the Avaricious State. Kerala High Court in 2011 had passed a controversial judgment directing the State Government to set up a trust to take control of management and assets of Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple—a very famous holy shrine in Indian state of Kerala. The Apex Court has upheld the right of the Travancore Royal Family in the administration of the temple. The administration of temple by the State and Central Government is a very controversial issue. The State has always had an eye on the massive wealth that the temples collect from the donors. Hindus of the country have…
